Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Nyarlathotep: Nyarlathotep Is A Character in The Works of H. P. Lovecraft and
Nyarlathotep: Nyarlathotep Is A Character in The Works of H. P. Lovecraft and
Contents
In the work of H. P. Lovecraft
Inspiration
Summary
The Nyarlathotep Cycle
Table of forms
Overview
Table
In popular culture Nyarlathotep, described as the Black
Other literature Man in H. P. Lovecraft's story "The
Comics Dreams in the Witch House".
Video games First "Nyarlathotep"
Films appearance
References Information
In "The Dreams in the Witch House" (1933), Nyarlathotep appears to Walter Gilman and witch Keziah
Mason (who has made a pact with the entity) in the form of "the 'Black Man' of the witch-cult", a black-
skinned avatar of the Devil described by witch hunters.
Finally, in "The Haunter of the Dark" (1936), the nocturnal, tentacled, bat-winged monster dwelling in the
steeple of the Starry Wisdom sect's church is identified as another manifestation of Nyarlathotep. This avatar
cannot tolerate the slightest light.
Lovecraft suggests that the fake Henry Akeley that appears at the end of The Whisperer in Darkness (1930)
is also Nyarlathotep. In the story, the Mi-Go chant his name in reverential tones, stating "To Nyarlathotep,
Mighty Messenger, must all things be told. And he shall put on the semblance of man, the waxen mask and
the robes that hide, and come down from the world of Seven Suns to mock".[2] At the end of The Whisperer
in Darkness, the main character to his horror discovers a loose dressing gown and the dismembered head
and arms of Akeley lying on the couch, presumed in the story to have been a Mi-Go in disguise. But due to
the mention in the chant to Nyarlathotep wearing the "waxen mask and the robes that hide", S. T. Joshi
writes that "this seems a clear allusion to Nyarlathotep disguised with Akeley's face and hands; but if so, it
means that at this time Nyarlathotep is, in bodily form, one of the fungi — especially if, as seems likely,
Nyarlathotep is one of the two buzzing voices Albert Wilmarth overhears at the end". Joshi notes this is
problematic, because "if Nyarlathotep is (as critics have termed it) a 'shapeshifter', why would he have to
don the face and hands of Akeley instead of merely reshaping himself as Akeley?"[3]
Though Nyarlathotep appears as a character in only four stories and two sonnets, his name is mentioned
frequently in other works. In "The Rats in the Walls" (1924), Nyarlathotep is mentioned as a faceless god in
the caverns of Earth's center.. In "The Shadow Out of Time" (1936), the "hideous secret of Nyarlathotep" is
revealed to the protagonist by Khephnes during their imprisonment by the Great Race of Yith.
Nyarlathotep does not appear in Lovecraft's story "The Crawling Chaos" (1920/21), despite the similarity of
the title to the character's epithet.
Inspiration
In a 1921 letter to Reinhardt Kleiner, Lovecraft related the dream he had had—described as "the most
realistic and horrible [nightmare] I have experienced since the age of ten"—that served as the basis for his
prose poem "Nyarlathotep". In the dream, he received a letter from his friend Samuel Loveman that read:
Lovecraft commented:
Summary
Nyarlathotep differs from the other beings in a number of ways. Most of them are exiled to stars, like Yog-
Sothoth and Hastur, or sleeping and dreaming like Cthulhu; Nyarlathotep, however, is active and frequently
walks the Earth in the guise of a human being, usually a tall, slim, joyous man. He has "a thousand" other
forms, most of these reputed to be maddeningly horrific. Most of the Outer Gods have their own cults
serving them; Nyarlathotep seems to serve these cults and take care of the deities' affairs in their absence.
Most of the gods use strange alien languages, but Nyarlathotep uses human languages and can be mistaken
for a human being. The other Outer Gods and Great Old Ones are often described as mindless or
unfathomable rather than truly malevolent, but Nyarlathotep delights in cruelty, is deceptive and
manipulative, and even cultivates followers and uses propaganda to achieve his goals.
Nyarlathotep enacts the will of the Outer Gods, and is their messenger, heart and soul; he is also a servant of
Azathoth, his father,[9] whose wishes he immediately fulfills. Unlike the other Outer Gods, causing madness
is more important and enjoyable than death and destruction to Nyarlathotep. It is suggested by some that he
will destroy the human race and possibly the Earth as well.[10] Brian Lumley described him as the
emanation of various Great Old Ones and not an actual being, thus explaining his variety of forms and
functions.
Table of forms
Nyarlathotep has many forms (some literature refers to these forms as Masks and claims that he has a
thousand of them) and is thus known by different avatars.
Overview
Table
Nyarlathotep's forms
Name Region Description Notes
Ahtu's cult in Africa is composed of human
worshipers of no hope, driven to insanity by being
ill-treated and forced into encroachments by rulers
or exploiters. Self-mutilation is a sign of the cult: all
Appears as a gelatinous mass have amputations or terrible scars from near-fatal
Ahtu Congo
extruding golden tentacles. whippings and beatings. However, western worship
more resembles voodoo rituals. He can be called
by a magical golden bracelet, which is kept
separated into two halves to prevent an accidental
summoning.
Appears as a hooved, hairless
man with pitch-black skin and
Nyarlathotep is worshipped by witch covens in this
Salem and Caucasoid features. Appears
Black Man form. This is demonstrated in "The Dreams in the
Arkham to be an avatar of the popular
Witch House" by the witch Keziah Mason.
depiction of Satan in
Christianity.
Appears as a haughty
Black The Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh worships
Egypt Egyptian pharaoh wearing a
Pharaoh Nyarlathotep in this form.
brightly colored cloak.
Appears as a black, furry,
Although a special talisman can be used in
Black snouted creature which fears
England controlling this avatar, there is still the risk that the
Demon the light, but is not harmed by
summoner will be attacked.
it.
Manifests as a devastating
Black Wind Kenya —
storm.
Initially appears as a dainty
maiden behind a fan.
The However, the fan casts an The Order of the Bloated Worm worships
China
Bloated illusion masking the true form Nyarlathotep in this form. The cult has an emissary
(Shanghai)
Woman of a large, bloated, tentacled in Stockholm.[11]
humanoid who eats human
brains.
Crawling
Dreamlands Appears as a putrid, living fog. —
Mist
Those who study the black arts are sometimes
Appears as a larger version of contacted by this avatar. In return for entering their
Dark
— the Black Demon yet more bodies, the Dark Demon promises them great
Demon
treacherous. rewards. Unfortunately, Nyarlathotep never makes
good on this promise.
California, Appears as a pitch-black,
Louisiana, eight-foot-tall, faceless man
Dark One —
Tennessee, who can walk through any
Kentucky physical barrier.
This avatar wails as it forms
and reabsorbs random
Dweller in
Wood of N'gai appendages. It has no face, —
Darkness
but can take any shape it
pleases for short time periods.
A winged creature which
Effigy of
Africa manifests through an ancient —
Hate
totem.
The
Appears as a winged, faceless This avatar has the ability to send its worshipers
Faceless Ancient Egypt
sphinx. back through time.
God
The Haiti Appears as a bluish, red- —
Floating veined jellyfish-like creature.
Horror[12]
God of the Appears as gigantic monster,
In this form, Nyarlathotep is worshipped by the Cult
Bloody Kenya with a red tongue in place of a
of the Bloody Tongue.
Tongues face.
Its most important cult is the Church of Starry
A bloated, bat-like creature Wisdom, based in Providence, which can summon
Australia;
The with a single three-lobed the avatar using the Shining Trapezohedron. It's
Providence,
Haunter of burning eye which appears also worshipped by some modern Aborigines.
Rhode Island;
the Dark able to kill by fear alone. This Other names for this avatar include Face Eater,
Yuggoth
avatar is destroyed by light. Father of All Bats, Dark Wing, Sand Bat, and Fly-
The-Light.
Wood of N'gai
Appears as a hideous, howling
Howler in (somewhere in Occasionally referred to as the God of the Bloody
giant with a tentacle in place of
the Dark the United Tongues, or the Bloody Tongues for short.
a face.
States)
L'rog'g
(also The planet
Appears as a two-headed bat Avatar worshipped by the cuboid inhabitants of
Lrogg), L'gy'hx
(debatable). L'gy'hx and by a group of renegade Shan.
Bat God of (Uranus)
L'gy'hx
The
Appears as a succubus-like This avatar is worshipped by the Sisterhood of the
Masked Morocco
being with acidic skin. Masked Messenger.
Messenger
Messenger Appears as an enormous This form is manifest only during occasions of
of the Old — black mass that seems to cosmic importance, such as the awakening of
Ones creep across the sky. Cthulhu.
This avatar, appearing in the Los Angeles area, is
Eight-foot-tall, pale silver,
Mr. Skin Los Angeles closely associated with certain worshippers of
faceless imitation of a pimp.
Shub-Niggurath.
A shape shifter with many
aliases, Flagg usually appears
as an enrobed sorcerer, or a
pale man clothed in jeans, A creation of American horror writer Stephen King.
cowboy boots and a denim Flagg appears in at least nine of King's novels,
Randall Mid-World and
jacket. During the climax of including The Stand and the Dark Tower series. He
Flagg United States
The Stand, he briefly takes on wanders from one universe to another, leaving a
a monstrous, slumped, trail of chaos and destruction in his wake.[13][14]
hunched, almost shapeless
form, with yellow, cat-like
eyes.
North America,
The Royal An African-American jazz Appears to musicians who desire to sell their own
Jazz clubs and
Pant saxophone player souls for musical skill and/or fame.
crossroads
Considered to be the Angel Of This avatar is worshiped by the Cult of Malkira.
Samael Israel Death. Often Appears as a Considered a very important figure in Abrahamic
skeleton in a dark robe. Religions. Also Demiurge.
This form is worshipped by the Tcho-Tcho people.
Appears as a black human-like
Shugoran Malaysia They sometimes summon this avatar to punish
creature playing a horn.
offenders.
Manifests as a twelve-foot tall
Skeletal living skeleton with enormous
Egypt —
Horror claws and the head of a
human embryo.
The Thing Dreamlands A creature clothed in yellow This avatar is only known to manifest in the city of
in the silk. 'Ygiroth in the Dreamlands. Some claim that it's the
Yellow lone occupant of the remote, unnamed monastery
Mask on the Plateau of Leng (see High Priest Not to Be
Described).
The A column of writhing black
Innsmouth,
Wailing tentacles and screaming This avatar has no known worshipers.
Massachusetts
Writher mouths.
Appears as a blonde man in a
shining white robe. He is
The White
New England somethimes described as "an —
Man
Alexander or a Roman
emperor".
The
A pharaoh or sphinx with a Haunts the dreams of the insane. Revels in
Whispering Egypt
piercing gaze. disasters and wars.
Man
In popular culture
Other literature
M, a major character in the visual novel Shikkoku no Sharnoth (2008) who initially uses the
codename of James Moriarty, is revealed near the end of the story to be a manifestation of
Nyarlathotep.
The light novel and anime series Haiyore! Nyaruko-san (2009) is based on the Cthulhu
mythos, with the main character Nyaruko directly referring to Nyarlathotep.
In Charles Stross' novels The Fuller Memorandum (2010) and The Apocalypse Codex (2012),
the containment of Nyarlathotep in a parallel universe and the attempts of cultists to free "the
Black Pharaoh" is the main focus of the plot. The Annihilation Score later introduces the Black
Pharaoh, though he is not identified as such until The Delirium Brief. By the beginning of The
Labyrinth Index, he has been sworn in as the United Kingdom's new prime minister.
Nyarlathotep is the main antagonist in the novel Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute (2011) by
Jonathan L. Howard.
Nyarlathotep is an antagonist in the visual novel Deus Machina Demonbane (2013), which was
also adapted into an anime series of the same name.
Nyarlathotep appears in the guise of the Dark Man in Larry Correia's story "Dead Waits
Dreaming" (2013).[15]
Nyarlathotep features prominently in Lovecraftian: The Shipwright Circle (2019) by Steven
Philip Jones. The Lovecraftian series reimagines the weird tales of H. P. Lovecraft into one
single universal modern epic.
Comics
Though he does not appear in Lovecraft's original short story, Nyarlathotep in his "Black Man"
form appears in the 1993 comic book adaption of The Music of Erich Zann (Caliber), in
flashbacks for the eponymous Erich Zann.[16]
Nyarlathotep is the main character in Fall of Cthulhu (2007–2008), a comic series written by
Michael Alan Nelson and published by Boom! Studios.
Alan Moore's Neonomicon (2010-2011) utilizes Nyarlathotep in the form of Johnny Carcosa, a
masked drug dealer who frequents Cthulhu-themed clubs and occult shops. His manner of
converting new followers is to place them in a vegetative state, susceptible to "Aklo"—words
related to Lovecraft's work, which alter the consciousness of those who listen to them. In
Moore's story, he serves the allegorical role of the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation,
informing the protagonist that she has been impregnated and will soon give birth to Cthulhu.
Carcosa takes a more active role in Moore's follow-up volume Providence, "rewarding" the
protagonist, Robert Black, for his work as the "herald" of H. P. Lovecraft's effects on the world
and later overseeing the birth of Cthulhu.
Video games
Nyarlathotep appears in the Megami Tensei series as a recurring demon; the two forms he
most commonly uses is based on "The Haunter of the Dark", used in Shin Megami Tensei:
Persona (1996), and "Howler in the Dark", used in Persona 2 (1999). He takes center stage as
the main antagonist of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona and Persona 2: Innocent Sin. He also
appears in other Megami Tensei games such has the Devil Survivor Doulogy, Shin Megami
Tensei II, Shin Megami Tensei If... and Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine. Nyarlathotep and other
Cthulhu Mythos creatures are presented as creations of humanity's collective
unconsciousness, with Nyarlathotep representing humanity's destructive potential.
The card Outer God Nyarla from the Yu-Gi-Oh! game Dual Monsters (1998) is based on
Nyarlathotep, both in name and appearance.
In the adventure game Discworld Noir (1999), the antagonist of the game's third act:
Nylonathatep is clearly inspired by Nyarlathotep, in both name and design.
Nyarlathotep is a boss in the game Cthulhu Saves the World (2010).
In Fate/Grand Order (2015), Nyarlathotep appears lending his powers to the Mooncancer-
class Servant BB during the summer event.
In Bloodborne (2015), a game that borrows heavily from the Lovecraft mythos, the final boss,
the Moon Presence, is similar to Nyarlathotep in many ways, such as its appearance being
heavily based on Nyarlathotep's Howler in the Dark form (a giant howling monster with
tentacles for a head). It also, much like Nyarlathotep, seems to be rather active in the affairs of
humans, as one of the more involved beings in the game's lore.
In the video game The Lost Child (2017), Nyarlathotep is the final boss in the optional
dungeon, R'lyah Road.[17]
In Sundered (2017), Nyarlathotep is one of the final bosses in the game.
In Dragalia Lost (2018), during the Accursed Archives event, Nyarlathotep is the keeper of the
titular library and a white version of him is responsible for the people of Heliwood village being
turned into books. Heinwald, one of the characters introduced during the event, defeats his
clone as is then implied to be possessed by Nyarlathotep. He's also able to be recruited in-
game through a draw based lottery. Lathna, a girl of Heliwood village whom the white
Nyarlathotep took the form of, had been possessed by it and calls it "the me who isn't me," and
her body sometimes lapses to Nyarlathotep's control. As a recruited Adventurer, her skills take
the shape of Nyarlathotep's anatomy and she has the ability to dragonshift to only white
Nyarlathotep no matter what dragon she is paired with.
The video game Dusk (2018) features Nyarlathotep as its antagonist and final boss encounter,
and heavily borrows from and references his lore.
Nyarlathotep appears as female thunder god Mitsuru Narukami (https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/
Glory_of_Deep_Skies/Characters#Mitsuru_Narukami) in the Touhou Project fangame Glory of
Deep Skies (2018). She is the Stage 3C boss.
In Tokyo Afterschool Summoners, as an anthropomorphic hyena and DJ.
Films
A 13-minute short film version of the short story Nyarlathotep[18] was released in 2001,
directed by Christian Matzke, with Nyarlathotep being portrayed by Dan Harrod.[19] It was re-
released on DVD in 2004 as part of the H. P. Lovecraft Collection Volume 1: Cool Air.
Nyarlathotep features in the 2013 movie H. P. Lovecraft's The Dark Sleep directed by Brett
Piper.
Notes
1. Lovecraft, HP (1971). "Nyarlathotep". The Doom that Came to Sarnath (https://archive.org/deta
ils/doomthatcametosa00hplo). New York City: Ballantine Books. pp. 57-70 (https://archive.org/
details/doomthatcametosa00hplo/page/57). ISBN 978-1505533538.
2. Lovecraft, H. P. (1930). The Whisperer in Darkness (The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Tales
ed.). Penguin. p. 219.
3. H. P. Lovecraft (2011). S. T. Joshi (ed.). The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales. Penguin.
p. 402.
4. (in French) Rotomago and Julien Noirel, Nyarlathotep, Paris, Akiléos, 2007, 53 pp., ISBN 978-
2-915168-53-2.
5. Lovecraft, H.P. (1972). "Letter to Reinhardt Kleiner, December 21, 1921". In Carter, Lin (ed.).
Lovecraft: A Look Behind the Cthulhu Mythos. New York City: Ballentine Books. pp. 18–19.
ISBN 978-0345024275.
6. Murray, Will (Fall 1991). "Behind the Mask of Nyarlathotep". Lovecraft Studies (25).
7. Price, Robert M., ed. (2006). The Nyarlathotep Cycle: Stories about the God of a Thousand
Forms. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Chaosium. p. 9. ISBN 978-1568822600.
8. Price, pp. vii, 1–5.
9. Lovecraft, H. P. (1967). Selected Letters of H. P. Lovecraft IV (1932–1934). Sauk City,
Wisconsin: Arkham House. "Letter 617". ISBN 0-87054-035-1.
10. Harms, "Nyarlathotep", The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, pp. 218–9.
11. Anders Fager (2011). Collected Swedish Cults. Stockholm, Sweden: Wahlström & Wistrand.
ISBN 9789146220961.
12. Harms, The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, "The Floating Horror", pp. 222. This name was created
by Harms.
13. King, Stephen (1990). The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition (https://archive.org/details/
stand00step_1/page/214). New York: Doubleday. pp. 214–215 (https://archive.org/details/stan
d00step_1/page/214). ISBN 0-385-19957-0.
14. Furth, Robin (2006). The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance. New York: Scribner.
pp. 265–268. ISBN 0-7432-9734-2.
15. Shumate, Nathan, ed. (2013). Space Eldritch II: The Haunted Stars. United States: Cold
Fusion Media. ISBN 9780615918594. OCLC 899217941 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/89921
7941). Reprinted in: Correia, Larry (2018). Target Rich Environment Volume 1. Riverdale, N.Y.:
Baen Books. pp. 29–48. ISBN 9781481483445.
16. Steven Philip Jones (w), Aldin Baroza (a). The Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft: The Music of Erich
Zann (1993), Caliber Press
17. "The Lost Child Review – The Elder Gods Must Be Crazy" (https://jrpg.moe/the-lost-child-revie
w-the-elder-gods-must-be-crazy/). JRGP.moe. June 19, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
18. Nyarlathotep (2001) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325913/)
19. Christian Matzke (director); Dan Harrod (Nyarlathotep) (August 18, 2019). (https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=kzT5oa34a0A)Nyarlathotep (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzT5oa34a0
A) (DVD). Retrieved November 21, 2019 – via YouTube.
References
Harms, Daniel. "Nyarlathotep" in The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana (2nd ed.), pp. 218–222.
Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1998. ISBN 1-56882-119-0.
External links
Nyarlathotep (https://librivox.org/search?title=Nyarlathotep&author=Lovecraft&reader=&key
words=&genre_id=0&status=all&project_type=either&recorded_language=&sort_order=catalo
g_date&search_page=1&search_form=advanced) public domain audiobook at LibriVox
The Gods of Pegāna (https://librivox.org/search?title=The+Gods+of+Pegāna&author=DUNS
ANY&reader=&keywords=&genre_id=0&status=all&project_type=either&recorded_language=
&sort_order=catalog_date&search_page=1&search_form=advanced) public domain audiobook
at LibriVox
Time and the Gods (https://librivox.org/search?title=Time+and+the+Gods&author=DUNSAN
Y&reader=&keywords=&genre_id=0&status=all&project_type=either&recorded_language=&so
rt_order=catalog_date&search_page=1&search_form=advanced) public domain audiobook at
LibriVox
Nyarlathotep (https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Nyarlathotep) at the Lovecraft Wiki
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.